A Rainy Day
by Sereth Erethal
Summary: The story of Marion and Lilinette, two 18th century friends, and their journey into the world of vampires and the supernatural.
1. Chapter 1

The relationship between our two main characters here is supposed to be an attempt at displaying love in as pure a form as I can imagine it. The boundry between friendship and romantic love is fairly ambiguous, but I'll leave it to you to decide which it is. I will point out, however, that this will not be sexual in nature. The closeness between these two is beautiful to my mind, and I will attempt to display this on paper, but I just want to say that they are not going to be making love. I don't think. We'll see how it goes, shall we?

* * *

Unbidden, her companion picked her up without pause, placing the small girl into her arms in a bridal style that would have left the girl blushing at the insolence had their situation not been so dire. As it was she simply grabbed onto the muscular woman's neck, not wanting to disturb her concentration. Quickly she manoeuvred herself as best she could so as to look over the woman's shoulder, analysing the surroundings for any mention of the creature that was following them. Without seeing it she allowed herself to focus on her rapid breathing, attempting to think up a way for them to escape from it.

Suddenly, before her thoughts managed to work their way out of the predicament, she found herself flying forward only to hit the ground at an alarming pace, twigs and earth scratching and bruising her skin. Upon her stopping she looked up with wide eyes and found to her horror that her companion was being held up by the neck next to a tree.

"Marion" She whispered in shock, never having seen the strong swordsman left so vulnerable to the hands of another. The monsters head suddenly turned it's vicious grin toward her, the sadistic smile it held only becoming wider as it watched her. She winced, well aware of the fear building inside her, but she attempted to keep her gaze regardless. It was not a difficult task given the predicament of her friend.

"Marion, hmm? And tell me, what is your name, little one?" The monsters voice cut into her reverie, it's false beauty matching that held by the creature itself, all the more so by its usage of the nostalgic term. Despite that however, she refused to allow herself to give into her turmoil of emotions, answering the query as much for her own sanity as for its curiosity.

"L-Lilinette. My name is Lilinette, witch." She silently cursed her brief moment of hesitance, knowing that the monster would undoubtedly pounce upon it.

Unexpectedly, the creature gave a slight frown at her way of address toward it. A small part of her mind noted its dislike at the term, though the monster's next words dismissed the point.

"Your accent… It sounds like it's from the Kingdom of France, yet it is not… Tebauran perhaps..? Yes that is Tebauran. You are far from home, little one. Or, whatever home remains of that little country." The creature gave a look of idle surprise toward her, before grinning it's mad smile again.

Lilinette, uncaring of her former home, looked desperately at her companion who was failingly attempting to hold onto consciousness. Noting her face, the monster gave a look toward it's prisoner as though it had forgotten all about her. Then it gave another grin, this time obviously holding some evil notion within mind.

"So, Lilinette, let us play a game. I think I have only the stomach for one of you. Who's life should I take, and who's should I leave? I give you the choice." It's mischievous smile turned into a smirk, evidentially assuming which choice she would make.

Knowing the witch's trickery was inescapable, no matter the answer she gave, she decided to give an honest remark to it. Quietly, she voiced her response.

"To take one is to take the other. I would have you take both, or take neither. Of that, I have no decision to make, witch." Her hands silently squeezed the trimming of her dress, watching in anguish as her friends hands fell from their hold upon the arm of the creature, the strength from them lost.

The monster itself, however, had blinked in surprise at her answer. Apparently, she mused in dark humour, it had not considered her response the one she would give. It frowned at her for a moment before its face suddenly lit up in glee. She shivered.

"Oh my, what an interesting answer! I confess, I had not expected such a thing. I do believe it shows well the strength of bond you two hold. I am indeed impressed by it! But, you see, that leaves me in a predicament. I find that I would rather enjoy this more if you were to spend your last moments in misery. It sweetens things somewhat, no? But, if you say that it would be fine for me to kill you both, then that would ruin things." It gave a gloriously tempting pout, which scared her with the innocence and evil it held. But she found herself truly frightened when the smirk returned upon the delivery of its next words.

"But… If I were to make one of you immortal… To face a life in anguish without the other. Now, _that_ would be interesting. But… I fear little one, Lilinette, that I find you to be just a bit more… Appetising than this one here. She I'm afraid, is the one I think shall live." Lilinette covered her mouth in shock, her eyes wide as she took in just what the evil thing had implied. Her Marion would be subjected to an eternity without her. To a torture without end, as she knew it would be for herself.

It had managed it. Even given her answer of pure truth, the monster had managed to find a way to subject them each to misery. She had known the witch's trickery would apply whatever her response, and yet she had given it an answer anyway. Despite herself, she gave a quiet whimper as she thought of the future that her closest friend had been punished with because of her own words.

The monster's hand suddenly dropped its captive. The girl appeared to be unconscious as she hit the base of the tree. Gracefully it knelt down next to the body, bringing it up into an almost loving hold. Lilinette attempted to push herself off the ground, despite the absolute weakness she felt in her muscles as they lay bound by her fear. As tears began to fall from her eyes she gave away the last of her sensibility, murmuring her friends name desperately she began to beg, fervently hoping that the devil-spawn would rather take her soul than leave her friend to an eternity of torture.

But the witch paid no such attention to her, as it lent down to her friend and gently bit into the base of the neck. And Lilinette realised that it was not a witch that had been chasing them. Not a witch, but a vampire.

And she wept in the knowledge of just what her friend had been punished with. For she realised the true extent of what her Marion was to face. What she was to endure. After a moment, her friend began to scream as the pain ran through her system, the noise mixing in the air with Lilinette's sobbing.

To the vampire's idle interest, the scream stopped upon the sound of the sobbing reached the ears of the now near comatose girl. Such control while in that level of pain was a rare thing. She was impressed yet again by the pair. Despite this, her hunger had not yet been sated , only tempted by the draw of the wound she had opened upon the taller girl's neck. She moved over to the crying one, licking her teeth in anticipation of the wonderful liquid held within. Gently lifting the petite thing up, she brought her lips to her neck, silently in awe of the jugular's warm, consistent pulse. In the back of her mind, she registered the movement of woman behind her, but it was an insignificant nothing when compared to the temptation she was about to indulge in.

Until, with only the smallest of a split seconds warning from her senses, the blade of the woman she had just infected went straight through her neck. Her body collapsed under her, her desperate mouth falling away from what she had been so close to enjoying. When her mind had caught up to her what had happened, the brief, near silent sounds she had heard behind her replayed, she realised in complete shock just who had stabbed her.

And she was scared.

For if that woman, paralysed in a pain known only to those who had experienced it, had attacked and impaled her near impenetrable skin with barely a sound as a human... She feared just what such a creature might be capable of as a vampire.

Lilinette looked up, staring at the woman who struggled even to stand at the unbearable pain. She was awestruck, and ashamed at her own willingness to give up. Her lack of ability to save her friend.

"M-My… My Lady." Marion whispered softly, attempting to hold in the scream that threatened to leave. "M-My apologies, for not being… Quicker…" The woman fell to her knees, as the excursion of moving spread the poison through her veins so much quicker, and the pain with it. Losing all her strength, she finally came against the floor, whimpering at the sheer intensity of what she was experiencing.

Lilinette stared at her, before closing her eyes for a moment, focusing her thoughts so that she might be of some use once more. She attempted to bring her mind's whirlpool of emotion and activity to a stop in order to reaffirm her status, and deal with the issues at hand.

Opening them, she brought her eyes to the body of the vampire, whose face was twitching but still very much alive. She quietly whispered to herself all the vulnerabilities she knew of. "Garlic and Holy water, none of either. Stake to the heart, skin too hard. Silver cross…" She looked down at the small necklace hanging around her neck, noting it's lack of effect. "Ineffective. Sunlight..." She quickly glanced at the sky, noting the cloud covering overhead. Cursing silently to herself she continued thinking, her line of thought becoming clearer to her as each second passed. "Sunlight. Sunlight… Heat and light. Purity through fire." Her eyes widened at this conclusion, and, with a brief glance at the now scared expression of her would-be predator, it appeared her thinking was correct.

Quickly, she gathered around herself wood from the forest floor, rapidly attempting to create a flame from the small tinderbox she had laid open. Once she set a large blaze going, she dragged the body of the immobile creature onto it. Her already red eyes started watering once more at the smoke made, when the body rapidly set alight. Pulling her companion's sword out of the smoking remains before it became too hot, she set her eyes once more onto her friend, who appeared to be only moments away from screaming once more.

Looking around herself, she realised that she had little idea where exactly she was. Acknowledging this, she simply pulled her companion closer to the warmth of the fire, though remaining careful not to bring her too close lest the flame catch. She knew her companion was destined to a life of eternal suffering, but she could not gather the courage to take the life of her dearest person. Instead she simply held her close, hugging her tightly as the whimperings continued.

Above her, it started to rain.

For the next three days Lilinette remained at her companions side, leaving only briefly for wood to keep up the fire. She did not even allow herself the time to scavange or hunt for food. She did not wish to spend the time away from Marion's side.

Through the time she spent at Marion's side she ate nothing, and drank little more than was offered by the intermittent periods of rain that had occurred. Though she knew she should be taking better care of herself, it could not be helped. She couldn't bring herself to leave the side of her companion with the knowledge of what had happened. And what her friend had become.

Throughout the time, she had felt the steady decline in the strength of the woman's heart. She could guess what the end result would be, though the chilling fear she felt when thinking of the heart stopping, and what it might bring with it, ran deeply through her veins.

And yet, though she made sure the fire kept burning throughout the time, she could not bring herself to allow her friend's destruction, nor indeed even regret that fact.

But then on the third day, when she was finally beginning to consider the need to acquire some sort of food, she felt it stop. The hand that had been lying idly on the woman's chest was pulled off in haste, as she pressed an ear to it, listening for any sign of the beating. Finding none she sat up, giving a worried look at her charge.

"Marion..?" Suddenly the lying woman's eyes snapped open, only to flutter shut when she took in a breath. Placing a hand upon her chest, Lilinette attempted to communicate with her again.

"Mari-" Before she could get the name out, the person at her knees had disappeared, only for teeth to implant themselves within her neck. Though the suddenness of it had come as a surprise, she could not consider herself shocked. She had known this would happen.

And as her blood quickly left her body, her best friend draining her dry of it, she could not help, in her light headed state of mind, but consider the fact that she did not regret it. She still could not regret allowing her companion to live.

"M-Marion..." She had managed it. She had spoken her last words. Or word, for there was only one of which she wished to speak. But the moment it had left her lips, so too did the teeth upon her neck leave. And as she looked up, she saw her Marion, standing wide-eyed against a tree, a look of horror on her face.

But horror was nothing compared to what her friend was feeling at that moment. Looking down at her Lady, she at that moment wished for nothing more than to feel the pain she had endured cover her again. To punish her for the most terrible of sins she had just committed.

She had just hurt her Lady. She had killed her, with the amount of blood she had taken. The same blood that was calling to her again. Desperately, she took in a deep breath, trying to find another source for her thirst, so that she might not harm her Lady further. Searching through the delicious taste that filled her nostrils so fully, she finally found what she was looking for, and clung to it.

An old man, two miles ahead of her, was walking alone upon a forest path. She rushed so avidly toward the point of relief that she covered the distance in what felt like less than a second. Part of her mind noted that her feet had barely touched the floor more than a couple of times, but that fact paled dramatically in comparison to the great relief she felt as she drained the old man dry.

Dropping the corpse to the floor she stared at it for a long moment, realising that the neck had already been broken. She supposed by herself when she had taken him, but that seemed odd as she couldn't remember deciding to do such a thing, kind though that act might be.

But then her thoughts turned back to her Lady, dying by her hand, and she panicked. Rushing the distance back, which by comparison seemed to take an age to cover, she lent down and gently took the girl up in her arms. "M-My Lady…" She whispered to her, stroking her arm gently as tears stung her eyes. Sorrow at her own actions rushed through her like lead, when she heard the faintness of the girls breathing.

The thirst, though exceptionally strong, was only another aspect of her life. And like all such things, it took second place to her Lady in the woman's mind. She hectically attempted to think up any and all ways she knew to save her companions life. But none would work.

Until she realised, there was one way she might save her. One way she might be allowed to live with her Lady. But the idea of forcing this life upon her scared her so greatly. Would she allow such a thing?

She knew that the chivalrous thing to do would be to allow her death. To not force her to live with such a curse as she had been laden with. But then, she also knew Lilinette's stance on such things. She whispered quietly the words this amazing girl had taught her. The truth she had revealed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I-If neither can live without the other, then to die for the other is meaningless. Both are one and the same, both in life and death. A-And must be considered as such." She sobbed tearlessly, acknowledging the words to herself as she made the decision. And she knew that really, it was the only choice there was to make.

"My apologies, my Lady, for this. But… I must take heed of your words." And she lent down, biting the neck of her beloved friend.

As she created the wound, she felt the enormous strength of the blood. The cries for her to drink, filling her mind and body. It took everything she was and more to resist the sheer power of the thirst, as she let the venom from her mouth flow into the veins, her newfound instincts guiding her.

The moment her mouth had left, she rushed straight at the closest tree, biting into the trunk and ripping off a mouthful of bark, as she fervently tried to get the blissful taste of temptation from her mouth. Though it worked in part, the smell remained just as potent, and she set down against the tree, putting her hands together in prayer for the safety of her Lady.

So desperate were her words that thoughts of whether monsters of her kind would even be allowed to pray did not ever occur to her. She simply wished and hoped fervently upon the cross around her neck for a full day without pause. On the second day as she agonisingly endured hearing her companion's screams of pain, she tested herself, attempting to move closer to the girl. After a day of this trialling herself she finally managed to conquer the ebbing strength of her friend's liquid ambrosia, pulling her close so that she could embrace her. Though she knew it was almost useless she still pulled the girl in close, gently squeezing the body so that she could provide her with what little comfort she had to offer.

Finally, she heard with her infinitely sensitive hearing the last beats of the heart she loved so dearly. Waiting for a few more minutes, she simply stared impatiently at the girl's face. Finally, those eyes snapped open, their shade no longer blue but a bright red, taking in what she knew to be more than they had ever seen before.

"Marion?" A voice queried, and she laughed in delight. Both for the safety of the girl, and for the fact that the voice, unlike her own which had altered dramatically into a deep, smooth, womanly tone, had remained so perfectly like it had always been. It seemed to have simply become even more suiting to the young girl, now holding an air of authority and strength it had before lacked, yet still threateningly capable of whining when it was felt needed. It belonged so perfectly to her.

"Aye, My Lady." She answered with a joyful smile. "I am here."

* * *

So, your thoughts?

This is an introductory chapter, so a lot of things will be explained later on, but if there's anything you don't understand feel free to ask.


	2. Chapter 2

4 Years Previously

Marion hid behind the corner, careful not to make a sound. Her hand was gripped tightly around the handle of her blade in anxious anticipation, as she listened. She heard the Men's voices as they slowly cornered their victim; some young woman.

"Ooh… What do we have here, eh?" One of the men stated, speaking first. His voice was unexpectedly soft and caused Marion's resolve to slip slightly, if only for a moment as her grip tightened once more.

Looking around the corner, making sure not to reveal herself, she spied the scenario. Four men, all standing around a woman whose presence was hidden from sight by those surrounding her. One of the men stood forward, his demeanour that of a leader; and also, she realised with a slight burst of anger, that of nobility. Though he wore similar clothing of those around him, there was no mistaking the well-postured and clean appearance. Her resolved strengthened tenfold with the realisation that it was one of her kingdom's Trusted Gentry that was partaking in the act. The idea that one who had been given the honour to rule over others would take advantage of such a position made her feel enraged. Though she quickly regained control of her feelings, they remained bubbling beneath the surface.

Though she wished she could step out now and help them, she knew that it was impossible. Her ability with her sword was not yet anywhere near a level where she could take on four grown men in a fair fight. She had no choice but to wait until they were otherwise preoccupied, though the thought made her feel a little ill, upon which she could surprise them.

As she looked on, keeping within the shadows that were protecting her from the eyes of the men, she watched the noble leading them take a step forward; only to pause when the woman's voice rang out, soft, yet holding a strength and character Marion had never heard before.

"I am a personal servant of the King. You would be ill advised to proceed, lest you wish to take on his wrath. You are aware of just how protective his Majesty is of his staff?" The woman spoke with a tone of such authority that it made her shiver. Her mind almost believed the words even as she knew them to be false; she herself knew of every servant held by the King and this woman was not one of their number.

Even the men seemed to pause, their expressions turning to ones of worry and doubt.

"Ah… Perhaps we should leave her. I don't want to catch the attention of the guards…" One of the taller men mumbled, the others creating small sounds of agreement as they looked around worriedly, as though expecting said guards to pop out at any moment.

Marion sighed to herself in relief, noting the apparent success of the woman's plan. Her fast words seemed to have saved her.

Only the Noble seemed to actually think beyond her words, as he studied her. "You appear… Very young, to claim a position as one of the King's _personal_ staff…" He said slowly. Marion could here the grin slowly seep back into his voice as he spoke. "And besides, even if you were of the King's staff, there is no way we could be found out… If we were to take care of anyone that might _know_ about it…"

Marion's grip tightened again, as she realised the man had seen through the woman's powerful words.

"There is always someone who knows. A noble of all people should be aware of that." The voice said smoothly. Marion blinked, surprised by the woman's unexpected deduction of status. Commoners were not often learned in the recognising of others.

The man also seemed surprised, though by his posture she guessed that he was not yet willing to back down. It took a decidedly more intimidating look as his tone became more serious, losing the playful attitude it had held thus far.

"Not in this street. This street belongs to me, nobody's going to talk to anybody about this. Besides, who'd believe them?" He grinned with a sharp look in his eyes. The men by his side all stood ready to do his bedding.

"Take her." He worded with a tone of finality.

Realising this was the moment she had been waiting for, Marion quickly, and as silently as she could manage, sprinted up towards them. Only the noble heard her coming, and turned round to look, only to have the tip of her blade pierce through him. His eyes wide in shock, he slowly fell over as the strength of his legs left him. Pulling the blade out, Marion rushed towards then next man, the biggest of the other three.

Unprepared for the speed of the attack that had come seemingly out of nowhere, the man only managed to stagger an empty, grasping hand towards the girl as the tip of her slender blade sliced across the breadth of his throat, slipping through the vein as though it were paper.

When she turned to take out her third victim she felt her blade knocked to the side, only to have a fist meet her in the side of the head. Stumbling backwards, her hand desperately slashed upwards. Through sheer luck, she managed to slice into his hand, causing the man to scream in pain as he clutched the injury to his chest. The moment was enough for her to recover from the hit, as she delivered another blow to her opponent, this one across the neck once more.

Before she could bring herself about to take on the final man however she felt a foot slam into her back, throwing her to the ground as her blade fell from her hand, clattering a distance too far for her to grab. The foot she had felt before suddenly slammed into her back, causing her to wince in agony. The man, last of his comrades, did not stop his attack, instead kicking her side to turn her over before slamming the heavy shoe yet again into her. Marion cried out as she felt the resistance of her ribs give way to the heavy blow.

As she looked up at the furious eyes staring down at her with venom, she returned the stare resolutely, hating her opponent with everything within her. When his foot raised again, obviously planning to continue the assault, she realised that he would have no intention of stopping. She was going to die.

'A shame', she thought to herself idly, she had not yet even mastered her sword and her life was already over. Acceptance of her fate was surprisingly easy, her mind briefly noted.

But even as she looked up tat the man, she spotted a sight that caused her to blink despite her situation. A small blade, seemingly only a sharpened cooking knife, snuck its way across the neck of the man. He himself did not notice it however until it slid back, pulling through the soft flesh of his throat. Splattered by the spray of blood from the man's wound, Marion stared upward in shock as she watched him casually pushed to the side, falling over obediently.

But as she continued to look up, a new face appeared. That of a woman, though not one she recognised. "You are hurt." The woman stated passively, staring down at her. Marion realised that the voice, so very unique sounding, was in fact that of the woman she had been attempting to save. She had not managed to catch a glimpse of the woman before this moment, and she realised what the man had meant with his earlier words. Though her voice displayed a maturity and timelessness that told of a woman, this was in fact a young girl, many years younger than she had been expecting. Though strangely to the swordswoman's mind, the voice seemed fitting for the petite figure; perhaps even more so than that of the woman she had imagined.

Marion attempted to respond through the pain, but a whimper was all that managed to make its way past her lips before she silenced herself again. Her body was crying out in agony.

Without pause, the girl looked her over. Tracing her fingers delicately over Marion's chest, she noted the winces given by the older woman. Finally she nodded to herself.

"We cannot wait here, word will no doubt spread to the guards before long. But I would not be able to carry you the distance to somewhere safe…" Frowning for a moment, she considered a solution. "… I cannot carry you myself, but I may be able to garner the help of another who could. My apologies for this, but I must leave you here for a small while." She stated apathetically, walking behind the woman as she spoke. Looping her arms around her, she dragged her as carefully as possible towards the side of the road and into the dark shadows of an alley, a little away from the blood covered scene. Despite her attempts of delicacy, the woman cried out in pain from the motion of being dragged. Without pause, the younger girl quickly kicked at the dirt of the small trail caused, hoping to give her saviour at least a little chance to hide herself should someone arrive before she managed to return.

She hurriedly walked off, quickly bursting into a run the moment she was out of the sight of the older woman as she rushed towards the person she had in mind. She even managed to trip over in her hurry, but it did not deter her. Upon reaching her destination, she rapidly knocked upon the door. Despite the late hour, the door opened after a moment to reveal a hefty man, the scent of baking bread wafting out of the door as he looked down at her in surprise.

"Ah… Lilinette. Why are you trying to break my door down at this late hour?" Though he noted her serious expression, the big man had a habit of making jokes until he himself had acknowledged it as inappropriate. It was an odd trait, but one that the younger girl had come to get used to.

"I require your help, urgently." Her tone surprised him. It was a rare occasion indeed that he would find the younger girl as anything less than calm and collected. It was how she portrayed herself to others, and it was something she was loathe to breaking.

"What is it? You're not needing someplace to hide, are you? I'm sure you have more than enough places of your own for such a thing." And it was true; despite the girls age, he knew her to have many such spots dotting the city. She was extremely adept at planning ahead, always seeming to have whatever she needed within a close distance.

"No. Well yes, but that is not the primary issue. I need to borrow your strength." That raised his interest. It was rare indeed that she would actually ask for him to perform some _service_. Being in his debt was not something he had ever expected her to willingly allow.

"Oh? Whatever for? And can it not wait until tomorrow? I was planning on going to bed soon." He remarked.

"No, it must be now. I… There is a woman, injured. She requires aid, but I cannot deliver such a thing to her in the street. Nor can I lift her…" He blinked. She was calling for his help on a charity case? That was also very unlike her, he noted. "And… Just what exactly has she done to deserve your help?" He asked her curiously, even as he grabbed the key beside the door and walked out, locking it behind him.

"Saved me." She stated softly. "Quite selflessly. It was… Very remarkable."

The statement meant nothing to the man, however, as he found it difficult to imagine a situation where the girl would indeed actually _need_ saving, prepared as she always seemed to be. Still, he followed her brisk pace anyway, curious about who exactly it was that had caught the young girl's attention.

Upon arriving to the scene he stopped, staring in shock at the four bodies littering the ground stained with their blood. Lilinette walked on past the bodies without a care, moving towards the shadows by the side of the street. As he followed hurriedly, he spied the woman she had been referring to. Though to him, she appeared to be only a few years older than the young girl herself; hardly worthy of being given the title 'woman'. He moved over to the unconscious girl, looking her over for signs of harm.

"Her chest. I believe some of her ribs are broken." Lilinette explained, shaking her head as she watched him. "I cannot lift her, nor even move her sufficiently with the care necessary. You must do it, and quickly. That one is a noble." She stated, pointing towards one of the bodies. His eyes widened in understanding, and he nodded without hesitation. Gently picking the young woman up, he gave a small frown, noting a familiarity about her face. He shrugged it off however, and stood up with her in his arms. He looked at Lilinette who quickly grabbed a blade and sheathe off of the ground before returning to him. He carefully started, taking the girl back to his shop while Lilinette ran to his side..

Once there, he slowly laid her down upon his bed as his young friend watched on with sharp eyes.

"You realise the danger in doing this? The death of a noble is no small thing. They will be searching for her."

"They do not know who she is. There were… No witnesses present, save myself and the walls. I have no intention of talking, and the walls do not speak to the guard."

The man nodded in acceptance, before stripping the girl without regard towards modesty so that he might bandage her. Lilinette watched him curiously as he suddenly tensed, staring down at the girl in his care, before slowly continuing his task.

"A problem?" She asked of him.

"… No. Just make sure that she does not stay here for long. Witnesses or no, there are going to be people looking for this girl, I assure you of that."

She frowned at that response, studying the girl again. She could see nothing unique about her.

"Do you know the meaning of this symbol?" He suddenly asked her, and he carefully turned the girl to the side. Lilinette saw what she assumed had caused his worry, a tattoo, though she did not recognise it. A large symbol of a cross covered the entire back of the girl, heavily ornate with decorations of Ivy and various other things covering it. It was a work of art, that she was sure of.

"I do not. It is important I assume?"

He simply nodded. "Indeed."

She waited for him to continue, frowning when he said no more. "Will you not tell me?" She prompted, look to him to continue.

He simply shook his head. "No. You shall find out soon enough, but I think it'll be better for now if you do not know."

Her eyes narrowed at that answer, but she accepted that he would speak no more on it. Still though, her curiosity about the unnamed swordswoman was peaked ever greater.

After a long while of the man's careful tending, he finally leant back. "How is she?" Lilinette asked him quietly, her eyes showing an unusual amount of worry within them.

"I can't say. She's been hurt bad. Probably won't even be walking for the next couple of weeks, even if she does get through. But she can't stay here for that amount of time." He said firmly, looking down at Lilinette. "Too dangerous."

"That is not a problem. I can find her somewhere safe. But I am still unable to lift her." She remarked, looking up at him evenly. Her ability to outstare people unnerved the man sometimes, and he didn't bother with trying her.

"Aye, that's fine. I'll take her, if you need, but you'll owe me for this, aye?" He said eyeing her, telling her that more to see her reaction than for any actual sense of debt. As he predicted, she tensed at the words, before forcing herself to relax.

"Hardly. You owe me more debts than I care to count." She informed him coolly. And he knew it wasn't quite true; she would be aware of exactly how many debts he owed her, just to make sure she never fell into his. The baker simply laughed.

"Fine, fine. That's true enough, I suppose. But don't be having me lugging her miles on end. Dangerous enough taking her, even at dark. Don't want to have to deal with that for longer than I have to." He remarked, to which she simply nodded.

"Very well. I'll see if I can find somewhere close." She stated. Alarm bells immediately rang in the bakers mind.

"Keep it at least a couple blocks distant, ok?" He spoke hastily. "She ends up next door, then you'll probably have me caring for her as if she were here." He grumbled. She simply gave him an apathetic look.

"You are picky. But very well, I think I can find somewhere that is reasonable." She replied.

"Ain't picky, just sensible. And it doesn't matter anyway, for the moment. She isn't being moved anywhere for the next couple of days. Don't imagine you'll be either, eh?" He stated questioningly, unsure about what the girl was intending.

"No, I do still have my own work to do. But I'll return in the evenings to help you with her care, if you wish." She offered. It drew a scrutinising look from the man, as he realised she was offering to help take care of the bedridden girl in an entirely selfless way. It did him no good, however. Lilinette's thoughts were forever a mystery to the baker, and he'd sooner expect the end of days to occur before that changed.

"... Well, it'd definitely be appreciated, that's for sure, elsewise I don't know when I'd be able to go to my bread-making." He joked, though the girl paid him no attention.

After a moment's pause, Lilinette spoke. "I'll stay until she awakens." She announced, looking down at the bandaged girl. "That much I can do, at least."

The baker stared at her for a long minute, before simply shaking his head. "You do that, you do that." He replied, getting up to find somewhere to sleep a while. He'd be getting customers in a few hours, and the new target of fascination was currently occupying his bed.

Lilinette simply continued to sit, watching the girl sleep in silence.


	3. Chapter 3

My apologies in advance for any spelling mistakes or writing errors. I try to check the chapters over after having written them, but it is unexpectedly difficult to find your own mistakes. Thank you for your patience.

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Lilinette watched as the woman's eyes sleepily opened, she seemed barely conscious. "Sleep" She muttered quietly, stroking her hair. She was unsure what had brought her to do something of the sort, but it seemed to work. The girl on the bed quietly drifted off once more as her body continued the process of healing itself.

When Marion next opened her eyes, she was temporarily misplaced with the amnesia one feels upon waking up. The first thing she saw, while the memories suddenly rushed back to her, was a huge outline of a man leaning over her. Tensing, she lashed out at him. Or at least she attempted to, but the effort fell on deaf shoulders as she simply fell back to her bed, crying in pain.

"Ah, careful now. Don't wanna get you all beat up again. The Little One'll never forgive me for it." He said quietly, chuckling as he pushed down on her shoulder to indicate for her to stay down.

"W-Who are you?" She asked suspiciously, putting on a fiery tone to play down the fear at her current predicament. The pain in her chest and back continued to nag at her, but she put it to the back of her mind.

"Me? I'm just a baker. My names Laurence if you're in need of one, but most folk just call me Baker anyhow. You can do the same, if you want." He said, looking at her searchingly for a moment. She simply continued to stare up at him suspiciously.

"What do you want with me then?" She asked, raising her voice in anger. She was a little surprised when he gave a panicked look and shushed her. It was not the response she had been expecting.

"Quiet, will you? Don't wanna be waking her up, this is the first proper sleep she's had since we brought you here." He exclaimed in a whisper, indicating to a girl sleeping by her bed. She was leant against the wall with her knees held to her chest, and her head tilted back, eyes closed. Marion suddenly remembered the girl, she had been the one she'd tried to save. The memory caused her to wince; apparently she hadn't been quite ready for such a situation yet.

"As for what I want with you, that'd be best asked of the Little One when she wakes up. She's been sleeping things off for a time now, so it shouldn't be too long. For some reason she's unduly protective of you, it seems." He said, eyeing Marion with curiosity before continuing.

"Don't suppose you'd be willing to expand on that, by the way, would you? Way I saw things, all I know is that someone went and killed four people out there tonight." He said passively, watching her carefully. Suddenly an afterthought occurred to him, and he looked behind him briefly. "With a very.. Unique lookin' blade, too. Ain't your standard sword, that's for sure." He added thoughtfully.

Marion cringed a little at the words, but by now had gotten the impression that she wasn't in any immediate danger. The girl had said she would help her, after all, not that she had actually been expecting her to. It was a surprise to find that she had kept her word, commoners were not known for that to her knowledge. Though even as she thought it, it was with a guilty conscience that she had made such an assumption. It was not the first thing she had been wrong about in their regard.

"I.. Yes, the sword is mine." She spoke after a moment, looking sideways down at the girl. "They were going to hurt her. I killed three of them. The fourth got me, I think, and then.." She frowned in concentration, lifting a hand up with care to hold her head. "Then.. Then she killed him, and pulled me away. Then she promised to come help me, I remember that."

Baker watched her for another moment, before simply shrugging. "Interesting times we're at, it seems. Worlds falling apart." Marion didn't miss the avoidance about why she had intervened, but did not question it. She was simply thankful that any more difficult topics had not been brought up.

"Yes. I've heard there is unrest in the Kingdom of France." She spoke quietly, in an attempt to keep with his small talk. The man simply stared at her, before sighing, placing his hand onto his forehead. Marion was unsure what she had said wrong.

"It'd be wise to keep your mouth closed about matters of that sort, girl." He spoke quietly. "It'll cause trouble, and get you attention you really aren't needing." She tensed a little at his words, but forced herself to relax upon realising that he'd be referring to the previous men. It was unlikely he'd know who she was, and it hurt her chest to tense anyway.

"Thank you for the advice." She said quietly. Her eyes were drawn back to the woman sleeping by her bed. It was remarkable, she thought to herself idly, how peaceful the girl looked. The last memory Marion had of her consisted of her killing a man several times her physique. To look at her now, she seemed angelic to the young swordswoman, and the sheer contrast almost had her doubting that it was the same girl.

It occurred to her that she had ended up being saved by the very person she had been attempting to save. Not only that, but the girl had made sure Marion was treated and cared for. "She is quite remarkable." She idly commented to Baker, her eyes not leaving the woman. It was only when he started chuckling that she looked up.

"She said that exact same thing about you, the moment she mentioned you." He explained at her questioning look, a grin on his face. "You two are like peas in a pod." He remarked, laughing again.

Marion looked at him oddly, but the laughter was infectious, and she found herself stifling her own. It didn't last long before her chest started to protest to the action, and she winced.

"Aye, settle down now. Don't wanna be pulling you apart just yet. You'll be needing a couple day's more rest at least before doing anythin' like that, by my reckoning." The man commented, his own chuckle still dying away.

"Anyway, I got work to be getting back to. Lilinette wake up, your... Guest is conscious." He said, a foot nudging at her. Her eyes flew open, but it was the only overt movement that showed her having been startled. Marion watched as she looked up at him, and then to her.

"So she is." The girl spoke in a soft tone. It held the same unique quality to it that Marion had heard before, and she again could not place what it was. Instead she studied the younger girl as Lilinette stood, intrigued by the unusual grace the movement held. It did not hold the finesse of an educated noble or the like, yet it was somehow similar in method while still holding a style all of its own. In some ways her grace was even more becoming than that of the norm.

Still though, it seemed inappropriate for her to ask of such things. And from what she could see, the other girl was scrutinising her with an intense gaze of her own. It was not unexpected considering the circumstances, but she still found herself feeling a little unnerved by it.

"How do you feel?" The other girl finally spoke. It was a simple question, but she was unsure whether to reply politely or honestly. Eventually, with a small sigh, she settled on honesty. The girl was caring for her, after all.

"Painful. My chest hurts me greatly, and my back and head too." She said quietly with a grimace. With her thoughts redirected to the injuries, their pain seemed to intensify somewhat.

"To be expected. You've broken five of your ribs, and took some rather hefty blows." Lilinette muttered, looking her over carefully. "But for the most part you should heal up. It'll take a while though I think." She finished.

"How long." Marion asked immediately. She did not like being unable to move, it made her feel vulnerable and restless just to think about. Though right now she was not in any huge hurry to move, it would be difficult soon, she was sure.

"A long while. You should be moving about in two weeks, or so Baker says." The girl replied with a tilt of her head. "Though you look better than expected right now. Perhaps you are a fast healer."

Marion gave a small moan of dispair. "Weeks? I cannot. I have... I need to leave before then." She said hastily, her hands clenching the sheets. "Otherwise there will be no end of trouble."

"Indeed? Well, I cannot move you for the moment, but I can have a message sent to your family, if you wish." Lilinette offered politely.

Marion merely flinched. While this girl seemed trustworthy, it was a very bad idea to tell of her heritage to anyone not of the court, for fear that they might use her for fiendish purposes. That danger was only exacerbated in her current immobility.

"I... N-No. I, umm... Let me think." She hedged. In truth, she was not sure what to do. From the man's implication of Lilinette sleeping, she had gathered she had been there a few days, but even that would cause trouble. To stay for weeks would potentially be very, very dangerous, and not necessarily for her. But she could not simply ask to be taken home.

Eventually, she decided on a course of action. "Yes. Let me write a letter, and have it taken to the... Seliúre estate. It is not far from the royal palace. I am his daughter." She finished, proud of her quick thinking.

Lilinette, however, simply stared at her uncertainly. She did of course know where the Seliúre estate was; indeed, you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn't. The man was generally accepted to be in control of the city, since the King had secluded himself within the palace after his wife's death. Most considered him to be the cause of all the strife within the city, due to the policies and nobles he had put into power. But from what Lilinette had managed to gather it seemed he was not truly an evil person, merely a notoriously bad judge of character. Though the end result was the same, she supposed.

"... Yes. I know where it is. I shall find you some paper and a pen, if you are wishing to ink it now?" She queried the girl.

"I shall, thank you." Marion replied with a nod. When Lilinette retreated to speak to the baker, she sighed tiredly, watching her leave. This was no doubt going to leave her in a lot of trouble. She just hoped her sword would not be confiscated again, I had been a pain taking it back last time, and she had been punished for that too. Though thankfully they had at least not bothered with taking it from her again, given the effort she had gone to getting it.

The vague sounds of the man from before moaning reached her ears, but she could not make out the words. Eventually Lilinette came back, holding the items carefully, before handing them to her.

"Thank you." She said quietly, before quickly writing down a letter for him, briefly explaining her situation. She made sure to write it as though his daughter, but signed it with her name at the bottom. After a moment of writing however, she paused, realising that the other girl was staring at her letter with a fascinated look.

"O-Oh, err, can you not write?" She mumbled embarrassedly. It occurred to her that Commoners often were not capable of such things.

"No, I can," Lilinette said, shaking her head. "But not nearly so well or so quickly. Baker has given me the occasional lesson, but I do not often have the time for them. My writing is fumbled at best in comparison to yours, and written at a snail's pace." She remarked, her eyes not leaving the page.

"But you can write then. Is that... Rare?" Marion asked nervously, unsure whether or not she was being impolite.

"You mean among us Commoners?" Lilinette replied seriously. Marion blinked in confusion before gasping, putting a hand to her mouth. Lilinette had been reading her letter, she realised.

"I-Is that, err, discourteous? I m-mean rude?" She queried, hurriedly correcting herself. The girl simply raised an eyebrow as she looked at her.

"I know what discourteous means, I'm not stupid." She remarked idly, causing the flustered Marion to go a deep red colour. She was unsure how to act here, and appeared to be making things even worse for herself. Her panic turned to confusion, however, when she heard Lilinette start giggling.

"You are so easily teased!" She said, laughter now coming out of her as Marion stared up, slowly realising with embarrassment what had just happened.

"T-That is mean." She mumbled, looking down to hide her blush. The younger girl had been playing with her, and she had fallen for it entirely. Lilinette's giggling continued for a moment, before dying down suddenly. Looking up Marion noticed that the girl was blushing herself, also looking embarrassed, though the older girl was unsure why. Clearing her throat quietly, the girl spoke.

"Well. To answer your question, it is not overly rare. Most of the settled families and shop owners know how to read and write basic for trading and the like, though perhaps not to the standard of yourself. It is rare among the Orphans though I suppose, but I am acquainted with Baker. Most of us cannot claim such a thing." She informed the girl. Marion stared at her.

"You are without parents?" She asked in a sad tone.

"It is the definition of the term." Lilinette replied with a joking half-smile. "I and many others. I am not the first, nor do I expect myself to be the last. Hopefully I shall make better for myself than most manage, however." She said quietly, looking upward in retrospection.

Marion simply remained quiet, unsure what to say that would not cause insult. Speaking had never been something she did well, despite her teachers best efforts, so she settled on saying nothing.

"Anyway, you require rest. I shall deliver your letter for you as you sleep." Lilinette spoke after a moment, nodding decisively. Marion simply nodded, speaking a quiet thanks to her. When Lilinette's hand gently pushed her down into a lying position, she was surprised by how quickly tiredness overtook her. Within a few moments she was asleep, and Lilinette left without another word.

Lilinette walked along the rich area in which the nobles lived. It was an area she frequented quite a lot, but rarely did she do so out in the open like this. It was a rather novel experience for her. Looking around, she was able to appreciate the large, ornate Gothic structures that surrounded her. Each was the abode of one of the city's nobles in their district of splendour.

Still, the impression she felt while walking up the street was decidedly one of ominousness and power. The dark appearance of the buildings, with the purposely not-quite-kept gardens caused a small shiver to run down the girl's spine, despite herself. The architect of these must have had quite the imagination, she mused with dark humour.

Walking up to the largest of the buildings, set a little away from the others, she was met by the two guards standing at the gate.

"Speak your purpose." The taller of the two commanded in a practised tone.

"A message for the Lord Seliúre." She answered concisely. "From his own blood."

The guard gave a brief look of hesitation at that, but nodded, quickly regaining his manner.

"Very well. Enter and speak to the Butler, he'll guide you." He stated, opening the gate to let her through. She simply nodded, quietly motioning her thanks.

She was soon met with a very impressive looking door, with a carefully sculpted knocker placed at its centre. Lilinette stood for a moment examining it, before pulling it up to use. It only took a moment before it was opened, and a tall well-dressed man looked down at her. She assumed he was the butler, and it was apparently confirmed by his tone, if not words. "Yes?" He spoke stiffly.

"I have a letter for his Lordship, from his daughter." That sentence brought a curious expression onto the butlers face. Lilinette couldn't readily define it, however it was most certainly not what she was expecting. It seemed some sort of mix between suspicion and incredulity.

"His Lordship does not ha-" And then he stopped, as though suddenly realising something. Lilinette's thoughts immediately began working at that, but she did not reveal them to the man. After a moment he simply held out his hand. "The letter then, if you will." To which Lilinette shook her head.

"I was entrusted this letter, and I shall see it delivered to its recipient only." She said firmly. She had expected the butler to be annoyed at that, but instead he simply nodded.

"Very well, please follow me." Apparently that was more common of messengers than she had expected. She shrugged to herself, not much caring either way, though she did make a mental note in case it could be of use in the future. She had been known to take on messenger jobs before, and this seemed like a good thing for one's reliability.

She was lead to a beautifully decorated room, where she was told to wait while Lord Seliúre was notified. A housemaid had bustled in within seconds of his departure, causing Lilinette to chuckle wryly; apparently she was not trusted to be left alone in the room. At least they were politely subtle about the fact, as the maid did indeed go around cleaning the room apologising for the interruption as she went.

Apparently the Lord had deigned her important enough to come downstairs himself, as she soon saw him walking into the room the butler in tow. He looked her up and down, though Lilinette could see he was not much sure what he was looking for. The action was done more for appearances than for anything else.

"Apparently you have brought a letter from my daughter." He spoke carefully. He was cautious of her, Lilinette noted.

"Aye, My Lord. I was hired to deliver to you her words." She said, handing the letter to him. The man took it and read silently. It was interesting to watch the minute expressions that crossed his face. She had not had time to read most of the letter, as her eyes were not well-practised with words and thus slow. After a while he looked back up at her.

"Would you tell me where I can find my daughter? She assures me that she is safe and in need of resting, but you'll forgive me if I would see for myself if that is truly the case." He said firmly. Lilinette immediately put herself on guard, and considered how to avoid giving Marion's location. She had Baker to consider after all, and giving his address to a Noble, regardless of who they were, was not going to happen.

"I'm just a messenger, My Lord. I took the job from street folk, but I'm afraid I don't recall the face of who." She said, carefully structuring her words. She had worked out a way to get out of this, though it would require playing a different character to her norm.

He frowned a little, having worked out some hidden meaning to her words, as expected. "And I don't suppose a few coins would help jog your memory?" He spoke with a slight tone of scathing. Apparently he did not like that sort of character, good. In response, Lilinette instead shook her head.

"No, My Lord. A messenger has to keep their practise clean. How would you react if your guards were to let people through for the sound of coin, My Lord? Forgive me, but I'm not able to tell you my customers. It just ain't right." She finished, purposefully giving her accent just a touch of the lower-class, but not enough to put the noble off, only to imply herself as not well off. Now she just hoped she had his character right. Otherwise, she might find herself at a knife's edge of a position.

But to her luck, his eyes softened slightly. "That is unusually honourable of you. Tell me, what is your name girl?" He asked. Her thoughts began rushing at that, as she considered what to tell him. While giving her name was a risky venture, if he was asking for why she thought he was, then giving him the truth could potentially give her a very good source of jobs. Working for a noble was dangerous, but reliable and paid well. Finally she nodded.

"I'm called Lilinette, My Lord." She said honestly. The man considered her for a moment.

"You do your job well, Miss Lilinette. I may have work for you in the future. Where may I find you?" He asked. Lilinette smiled a little to herself – this had gone perfectly. It was not often she had such good luck, but apparently fortune had been looking upon her kindly as of late.

Lilinette looked to the butler by his side. Stiff though he remained, he did apparently register her look, and gave a slight nod. Good, he would know how to put out word onto the street. Though servants generally thought themselves better than most, they were not oblivious to the outside world and usually knew how things were really done.

"I'll leave my details with your staff, My Lord." She said looking back to him. "They can contact me." Apparently this satisfied the gentleman, and he nodded. "Very well. Thomas will show you out. He finished, before walking out of the room. The butler did so, and at the door she looked up to him. "The Fleece, in Merchants." She spoke succinctly. He appeared surprised that she was from the relatively rich Merchant's District, but nodded anyway. It was still squalor compared to the gentry, but since it was primarily shops and steady families it was a fairly well-kept place, and The Fleece was a well reputed pub.

She walked out the gate, nodding with a slight smile to the two guards on her way. It never hurt to give soldiers and guards a kind eye, and it was the sort of thing that could potentially prove life-saving at some point in the future. People were both much more likely to protect you, and much less happy about killing you, if they saw you as a friendly face. It wouldn't stop an order to kill, but it might delay a blade enough to get out of its way.

But now she had other issues to deal with. Though she hadn't had time to consider it earlier, the butler's initial reaction to her was deeply suspect. It was not difficult to work out what he had been about to say, but it was more than a little strange to her mind. The woman had lied about her family, fair enough it was a reasonable thing to do, but to then claim _Lord_ _Seliúre_ as her father? That was… Well, idiotic, to be blunt. The man was hated by most of the city.

And why would he have accepted the letter in the first place? Obviously the woman had some real connection to him for that to be the case. Perhaps she was a minor noble cousin of his or something of the like, and was attempting to hide behind his admittedly powerful name.

The made sense, until she considered Butler's reaction to that tattoo. Why would a minor noble bring the trouble he had indicated? He spoke as though it was dangerous to even have here at all, but if that was the case then she had to be a powerful name. So why hide behind Lord Seliúre?

She frowned in frustration, stopping to try and clear her head for a moment, before continuing to walk. So, what would she do were it her, and she had a powerful name? Well, obviously she'd try to hide it, it was dangerous to be known as powerful when you were vulnerable, lest people try and take advantage of it. But obviously that wasn't what the girl had done since she had gone to the most powerful man in the city, so what else migh-

Oh.

No, there was one name that was more powerful. The Royal Family were certainly more powerful than Seliúre, even if they were not exercising it currently. And, now that she thought about it, since Seliúre was in control by their leave he would have been in regular contact with the Royals.

God, just what had she stumbled upon now?


End file.
